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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. roll — a cake
  5. last — finally
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. last — final
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. march — the month
  11. mate — to breed
  12. key — for a lock
  13. race — a contest
  14. craft — a skill
  15. key — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. roll — a list
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. last — to go on
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. key — the most important part
  23. march — music
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com